DLWAV CH43

Just three hours ago, Xia Jingyao met the First Prince again.

He still wore the sandalwood scent from Wanxin Temple and had a jade pendant hanging from his waist that he had once given to the First Prince. As soon as he entered, the First Prince, as usual, enthusiastically called his name twice…

The insincerity and pretense need not be mentioned.

The First Prince’s purpose in seeking him out was singular: to ask for his help in eliminating Zhao Ruize.

If Zhao Ruize could be eliminated smoothly, that would naturally be best.

If the assassination failed, he asked Xia Jingyao to coordinate with him from the inside when he and the Fourth Prince launched their rebellion—first killing Zhao Ruize and Emperor Yuanxi, then killing the Fourth Prince.

Xia Jingyao agreed!

—Not because he was truly devoted to the First Prince.

After all, his taste wasn’t so poor as to fall for a fool like the First Prince, who had neither a good physique nor a brain.

And certainly not stupid enough to fall in love with the son of his enemy.

Do not forget, the First Prince was Consort Xian’s son.

So was Zhao Ruize.

There were three people Xia Jingyao hated most in this life.

One was his “good father” who favored a concubine and destroyed his wife.

One was that “good father’s” beloved concubine, who had tried to kill him several times and nearly succeeded.

The last one was Consort Xian, who backed up that beloved concubine (Consort Xian was her biological sister).

In fact, the fire that burned his “good father” and his beloved concubine along with her two children to death back then wasn’t an accidental fire at all—it was set by his own hands.

It was a pity that Consort Xian lived in the palace, so he couldn’t touch her.

The First Prince had indeed helped him more than once; otherwise, he might not have survived.

But don’t forget, if it weren’t for his aunt, emboldened by Consort Xian’s indulgence, causing him to fall into such a desperate state, how could he have needed the First Prince’s help in the first place?

He had no fetish for acknowledging a thief as his father.

So, Xia Jingyao not only never liked the First Prince from start to finish, but he actually wished he could send their entire family down to hell to meet his “good father’s” family.

The reason he chose to let the First Prince misunderstand that he was deeply in love with him and devoted to him was initially because he hadn’t yet established a firm footing, and Consort Xian and the First Prince could destroy him with a flick of a finger.

Only in this way would Consort Xian and the First Prince refrain from harming him, and even support him, to avoid losing an ally.

Later, it was purely because he wanted to see when Consort Xian and the First Prince would discover the truth, and incidentally, to enjoy watching them pretend to be cordial with him despite their immense disgust.

So he never took the initiative to expose this matter.

But now, it seemed he could close the net.

Thinking of this, Xia Jingyao’s eyes darkened, and he slowly tightened his fingers.

But the next second, he subconsciously loosened his grip.

Just because the person under his palm felt discomfort and suddenly frowned.

Only then did Xia Jingyao realize what he was doing.

He tried to tighten his fingers again, but when he caught a glimpse of the two night-luminescent pearls hanging above the head of the bed from the corner of his eye, his fingers no longer obeyed his control.

Xia Jingyao’s expression instantly became obscure and unreadable.

Just like that, he was stuck in a stalemate with the irritation in his heart.

Until finally, unable to bear it any longer, he rolled out of bed and walked out of the room.

He walked straight to the aerial veranda next to the main courtyard.

Looking at the shimmering lake water below and the vividly blooming lotus flowers in the lake, Xia Jingyao’s heart was even more chaotic.

He hadn’t expected that he actually couldn’t bring himself to do it—

This shouldn’t happen.

It was agreed upon; he was just playing with Ao Ruize.

Just then, the sound of footsteps came from not far away.

Immediately after, someone shouted sternly, “Who is it?”

But the next second, the voice lowered: “My Lord Duke?”

The person was none other than the steward, who was leading the guards on their final patrol.

He immediately dismissed the guards behind him and walked over. “My Lord Duke, what’s wrong?”

Xia Jingyao didn’t speak.

The steward could only stand behind him and silently shut his mouth.

It wasn’t until the patrolling guards had all gone back to rest and the surroundings were completely quiet, and the steward couldn’t help but yawn silently one after another, that Xia Jingyao finally spoke.

He said, “What do you say is the relationship between Zhao Ruize and me right now?”

Steward: “…”

He said, “Did His Highness the Crown Prince make you angry again?”

Was it another person seeking power and wealth throwing themselves at the Crown Prince?

Or was the Crown Prince’s upper body accidentally seen by passing servants again while bathing?

Xia Jingyao: “…”

He really wasn’t a jealous jar incarnate…

He steadied his mind slightly.

Then he fell silent again, and finally said coldly, as if answering his own question, “What other relationship could it be? Just enemies, nothing more.”

The steward couldn’t help covering his mouth to stifle another yawn as he nodded indiscriminately.

Yes, yes, enemies who sleep in the same bed every day.

Enemies who prepare midnight snacks for each other and entice each other to rub their feet.

Enemies who, the moment one is bullied, immediately think of venting anger for the other…

Xia Jingyao: “…”

Because what the steward could think of, he naturally could think of too.

But he still tried to defend himself: “I was just pretending to be civil with him.”

Just like he treated the First Prince.

The steward yawned again.

Right, right, right. The kind of pretense where he climbs our wall every day.

The kind of pretense where you lose your appetite if you don’t see him for a day.

Xia Jingyao: “…”

Xia Jingyao’s face darkened. “Are you the steward of the Duke’s residence or the steward of the Eastern Palace?”

Steward: “…”

That’s actually hard to say.

After all, His Highness the Crown Prince really does give him a separate monthly allowance—a whole string of pinky-sized South Pearls every year.

For him…

From the moment Xia Jingyao started getting jealous every few days, and then his anger dissipated even before the Crown Prince did much coaxing, the steward knew: Xia Jingyao had already fallen for him.

He also wasn’t worried at all that the Crown Prince would do anything disadvantageous to Xia Jingyao.

After all, false affection cannot withstand the test of time.

But it had been almost two years, and that Crown Prince still climbed the wall of their Duke’s residence every day—oh, recently he changed to using the side door…

However, while he, the bystander, saw things clearly, Xia Jingyao, the person involved, clearly hadn’t seen it yet.

The steward simply said, “My Lord Duke, actually you don’t need to agonize over this so much. You just need to imagine: if His Highness the Crown Prince suddenly passed away, how would you feel? If His Highness suddenly pulled away and left, how would you feel?”

“Then, just follow your heart and do what you will.”

Hearing this, Xia Jingyao subconsciously imagined those scenarios.

The next second, his heart seized up in pain.

So much so that he couldn’t help but press his hand against his chest.

Seeing this, the steward knew Xia Jingyao had taken his words to heart.

He silently withdrew, leaving enough space for Xia Jingyao to think.

Under the bright moonlight, Xia Jingyao’s expression became increasingly obscure.

He actually couldn’t bear for Zhao Ruize to die?

And he couldn’t tolerate Zhao Ruize pulling away.

How was this possible?

But this was precisely the truth.

Xia Jingyao couldn’t help but clench his fists.

The next second, the little finger of his left hand suddenly brushed against something.

He looked down and saw it was none other than a small wooden whistle hanging at his waist.

It was given to him by Zhao Ruize over a year ago.

Later, he had casually thrown it away.

Only now did he realize that at some point, he had started wearing this small wooden whistle again, and it had even developed a patina from him playing with it.

What this meant was actually self-evident.

He had actually… fallen in love with Zhao Ruize.

He had actually fallen in love with the son of his enemy.

He had actually been stupid to this extent—

Xia Jingyao unconsciously bit his lip until it bled.

Just then, familiar footsteps sounded behind him.

Xia Jingyao’s lips subconsciously pressed into a straight line.

He turned his head and saw Ao Ruize approaching under the moonlight.

He was wearing close-fitting blue sleepwear. The moonlight shone on him, perfectly outlining his robust but not brutish figure.

He said, “Why did you wake up suddenly and run out here?”

Immediately after, his handsome brows furrowed. “Why didn’t you put on shoes when you came out? The weather is turning cool now; what if you catch a cold?”

Xia Jingyao looked down and realized he was standing barefoot on the ground.

He hadn’t noticed it before, but now that Ao Ruize mentioned it, he really did feel a bit cold.

But what he didn’t expect was that the next second, his body suddenly felt light.

Ao Ruize had bent down and picked him up.

Xia Jingyao subconsciously wrapped his arms around his neck.

Their eyes met. Before Xia Jingyao could clearly see how he looked in Ao Ruize’s eyes at this moment, Ao Ruize suddenly kissed him.

Xia Jingyao was forced to tilt his head back and accept his invasion.

Not until he had licked all the blood from the corner of his mouth clean did Ao Ruize release him.

Then he just looked at him and said, “Let’s go back.”

Xia Jingyao, whose lips were thoroughly swollen, panted slightly, stared at him fixedly for a moment, and then buried his face directly into his chest. “Mmh.”

Xia Jingyao thought, I guess I’m done for.

Because he couldn’t even summon the thought to cut his losses in time.

Zhao Ruize looked like he was done for too.

But who knew what the truth was!

In other words, aside from taking it one step at a time, he seemed to have no other choice.

For the next half a month, on the surface, Ao Ruize almost never left the palace. Even when he went out for official business, he brought a large contingent of guards.

The First Prince and Fourth Prince knew that under these circumstances, it was impossible for them to eliminate Ao Ruize alone.

In the basement of the First Prince’s residence, the Fourth Prince slammed the table violently. “Since that’s the case, let’s stop hesitating and just raise an army directly!”

“Agreed.”

Hearing this, everyone else present voiced their agreement.

With so many people, could they really be afraid of the Crown Prince?

They weren’t all just confidants of the First and Fourth Princes.

For them, their personal futures and the future of their families had long been tied to the First and Fourth Princes.

To avoid being purged by the Crown Prince in the future, and for their families to advance further, they had to gamble on this.

Instantly, the atmosphere in the entire basement became heated.

Seeing this, the First Prince also said without hesitation, “Good. We cannot delay. Let’s set the time for the uprising on the Mid-Autumn Festival.”

On that day, the palace would hold a grand banquet as per custom. The entire civil and military court would gather together, making it the perfect opportunity to catch them all in one net.

Fourth Prince: “Good.”

Then, as if thinking of something, he continued, “Big Brother, although Zhao Ruize’s connections in the court are far inferior to ours, he has Father’s backing, so his strength is arguably greater than ours. We must cooperate fully now.”

“So, the same words apply: before success is achieved, neither of us is allowed to move against the other. After success, we will draw lots on the spot. Whoever draws the long stick will be the next Emperor. The one who doesn’t draw it must honestly leave the capital and go to his fiefdom, harboring no resentment.”

The First Prince replied without hesitation, “Agreed.”

He thought: What harm is there in agreeing now? With Xia Jingyao as my trump card, do I need to fear not being the final winner?

The Fourth Prince thought: So what if the First Prince has Xia Jingyao as a trump card? Little does he know that I have already used my memories from my previous life to buy off Shen Dong, the Supervising Army Commissioner of the Divine Machine Battalion, and Yu Yongwang, the Deputy Supervising Army Commissioner of the Five Military Camps—Xia Jingyao’s right-hand man. Now that I hold nearly one-third of the capital’s military power, do I need to fear not being the final winner?

The two looked at each other and then both burst into laughter.

But what they didn’t know was that almost at the same time, inside the Imperial Palace, Shen Dong, the Supervising Army Commissioner of the Divine Machine Battalion, had already reported the entire content of their plan to Ao Ruize and Emperor Yuanxi, who were playing chess.

Ao Ruize placed a piece on the board and couldn’t help shaking his head. “Those two sons of yours…”

Emperor Yuanxi: “…”

Here it came again, that feeling of being taught how to be an Emperor by Ao Ruize.

The key point was, this time it wasn’t his error in judgment.

But this time, he actually didn’t feel angry at all.

Probably because he had gained a profound understanding of the stupidity of the First and Fourth Princes.

—Clearly, Shen Dong was just a mole sent by them.

Yet the Fourth Prince hadn’t even thought about it for a second before falling for it directly.

So at this moment, rather than wasting his mood, it was better to care about another matter.

Emperor Yuanxi turned to the Chief Eunuch Yu Zan beside him. “Has the decree prohibiting marriage between close relatives within three generations among the common people been issued?”

Chief Eunuch Yu Zan immediately replied, “Answering Your Majesty, it has been issued.”

Emperor Yuanxi: “That is good, that is good.”

I only hope that from now on, Great Yang will have a few fewer idiots.